Guinea impatiens plant named ‘Ovation Deep Orange’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Impatiens plant named Ovation Deep Orange, characterized by its vibrant and rich orange flower color, deep green leaves, early flowering, long-lasting flowering, self-branching and vigorous habit.

The present invention relates to a new and distinctive cultivar ofImpatiens plant, botanically known as Impatiens Hawkeri, commerciallyknown as New Guinea Impatiens, and known by the cultivar name ‘OvationDeep Orange’. Ovation Deep Orange was developed in a controlled breedingprogram by crossing Mikkelsen Seedling No. 94-555-11 (seed parent) withMikkelsen Seedling No. 95-173-1 (pollen parent). Both parents areproprietary breeding lines which have not been sold or made publiclyavailable in this country.

Asexual reproduction carried out by the inventor in Lompoc, Calif. byterminal or stem cuttings has shown that the unique features of this newImpatiens are stabilized and are reproduced true to type in successivepropagations.

The following combination of characteristics distinguish the newImpatiens from both its parent varieties and other cultivated Impatiensof this type known and used in the floriculture industry:

1. Ovation Deep Orange has a flower color of Red Group 44B which issimilar to Timor (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,144) but darker orange than theflowers of Bonfire Orange (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 8,398) colored Red Group40A.

2. Ovation Deep Orange has a larger flower being 6.5 to 7.0 cm indiameter while Timor and Bonfire Orange have 6.0 to 6.5 cm diameterflowers.

3. Ovation Deep Orange is intermediate in height with Timor being morecompact and Bonfire Orange being taller.

4. Ovation Deep Orange has a more mounded growth habit than each ofTimor and Bonfire Orange which have a more upright growth habit.

5. Ovation Deep Orange has green leaf undersides which is similar toTimor while Bonfire Orange has a red-purple cast to the leaf undersides.

6. Ovation Deep Orange has a red-purple cast to the pedicel while bothTimor and Bonfire Orange have green pedicels.

7. Ovation Deep Orange has a pronounced red area at center of undersideof standard petal not present in Timor or Bonfire Orange.

8. Ovation Deep Orange stigma has a red-purple cast while Timor has awhite stigma and Bonfire Orange has a red-purple stigma.

The accompanying colored photograph illustrates the overall appearanceof this cultivar taken as a face view of the plant and showing thecolors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in a coloredreproduction of this type.

The following is a detailed description of my new cultivar, based onplants produced in greenhouses in Lompoc, Calif. during the Fall-Winterseason of the year. Plants were grown in 15 cm pots and measurementswere taken 20 weeks after rooted cuttings were planted. Heightmeasurements were taken from the soil line of the container. The plantswere grown at 16° C. night temperatures, under 3000 to 4000 foot candlesof light and 200 ppm nitrogen, 75 ppm potassium, and 200 ppm phosphorouswith nutritional trace elements added. Habit of growth, foliagecoloration, leaf variegation, size of leaves, and flower size will begreatly influenced by nutritional and environmental conditions.

Color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society ColourChart except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance areused.

Parentage: A controlled cross between female parent Mikkelsen SeedlingNo. 94-555-11 and male parent Mikkelsen Seedling No. 95-173-1.

Propagation:

(A) Type cutting.—Stem tip 15 mm long will develop to 4 to 5 cm long in18 to 21 days.

(B) Time to root.—8-10 days at 23° C. summer; 10-12 days at 20° C.winter.

(C) Rooting habit.—Heavy, fiborous.

Plant description:

(A) Form and habit of growth.—Mounded to semi-upright, self-branching,intermediate in height, flowers open over the top of leaf canopy;continuous flowering; vigorous growing flowering herb. Average height is18 to 21 cm and average width is 35 to 40 cm. Internode length is 5 to 6cm but is highly variable. Pedicel is Greyed-Red Group 182A. Stem isYellow-Green Group 146C with a Greyed-Purple Group 184C cast, andinternode is Yellow-Green Group 146C with a Greyed-Purple Group 184Ccast near the nodes. Pedicel length is 5 cm.

(B) Foliage description.—Deep green with red-purple coloration of midribnear base of leaf and no leaf variegation. (1) Size: 9 to 10 cm long and3.5 to 4 cm wide on average mature leaf. (2) Shape: Lanceolate withacuminate apex and acute base. (3) Texture: Both upper and lowersurfaces are glabrous. (4) Margin: Entire, covered with fine cilia. (5)Color: Young foliage, top side is Yellow-Green Group 147A, underside isYellow-Green Group 147B; Mature foliage, top side is Yellow-Green Group147A, underside is Yellow-Green Group 147B. (6) Venation: Pinnate, upperside is Yellow-Green Group 148B and lower side is Yellow-Green Group148B as well. (7) Upper midrib is Yellow-Green Group 147B with aGreyed-Purple Group 184C cast and lower midrib is Yellow-Green group147C with a Greyed-Purple Group 184C slight cast.

(C) Branching.—The branching is naturally occurring. Lateral branchingat base: 10 or more lateral branches starting at the base and then fromeach leaf whorl. The age of the plant will determine the number oflateral branches. Lateral branch length is 10 to 15 cm but is highlyvariable.

Flowering description:

(A) Flowering habits.—Flowers continuously from leaf whorl in aprogressively orderly manner with one flower per leaf axil. When thelast flower in a leaf whorl opens the first flower in the leaf whorlabove starts to open. It takes 5 to 7 days for a mature bud to fullyopen and the flower may last two weeks or longer depending on theenvironment. The time to first flower is approximately 8 weeks from rootcuttings. The flowers are self-cleaning.

(B) Natural flowering season.—Indeterminant and continuous; quantity offlowering increases with increasing levels of light.

(C) Flower bud.—Ellipsoidal; flowers perfect; spur is 5.0 cm long onmature bud, with the throat behind the ovary and originating from themajor sepal. Bud length is 18 to 20 mm and bud diameter is 13 to 15 mm.Spur is Red-Purple Group 60B, spur tip is Yellow-Green Group 147A, andflower bud is Red Group 44A just before opening.

(D) Flowers borne.—On individual red-purple pedicels 4.5 cm long from awhorl of usually five leaves. Flowering progessively around the whorlsas buds and leaves develop. Leaf axils have one flower each.

(E) Quantity of flowers.—Numerous because of self-branching nature ofplant and the long-lasting flower characteristic.

(F) Diameter of flower.—6.5 to 7.0 cm. Flower Depth: 6 mm.

(G) Petals.—(1) Shape: Heart, keel petals are largest. (2) Color: Topside in winter when opening is Red Group 44B, no fading under winterconditions; underside is Red Group 40B. (3) Number of petals: Five. (4)Size of petals: Standard: 4.5 cm wide and 2.5 cm long, equal lobes withshallow cut. Wings: 3.5 cm wide and 3.0 cm long, unequal lobes withmoderate cut. Keel: 4.5 cm wide and 3.0 cm long, unequal lobes withmoderate cut.

(H) Reproductive organs.—(1) Stamens: Five in number. (a) Anther: Hoodedshape, color is Red Group 45A. (b) Pollen color: Yellow-White Group158C. (2) Pistils: (a) Stigma: Five, segmented column, color is WhiteGroup 155B with a Greyed-Purple Group 184C cast. (b) Style color: WhiteGroup 155B. (c) Ovaries: Five in number, size is 7 mm when immature,color is Yellow-Green Group 146A.

(I) Fertility.—The plants are fertile, but do not normally set seedunder greenhouse or garden conditions, unless in a controlled crossingprogram.

Disease resistance: No significant disease or insect problems seen todate.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Impatiens plant named OvationDeep Orange, as illustrated and described.